Tubes in ears?

Teresa - posted on 08/25/2009
(
28 moms have responded
)

1

11

0

My son, who turned 2 in May, might have to have tubes put in his ears. I have heard mixed opinions about this, some say its good, some say to avoid at all costs. Any moms out there have experience, advice, for me on putting tubes in my sons ears??????? Can they go swimming afterwards if they have had tubes in their ears?

MOST HELPFUL POSTS

Anthea - posted on 05/24/2012

84

11

7

Yes yes yes they work. One of my twins had constant ear infections from about 3 months old. It was hell. He was in so much pain and would wake up screaming all night :(. After his grommits ( tubes ) at 13 months he was like a different child. He had his adenoids removed at the same time and after he work up from the surgery, took him home, it was like nothing had happened! He now very rarely gets even a cold, has never had another ear infection, sore throat since He is now almost 3. Grommets still haven't fallen out, I have always showered and bathed him like usual with no need for ear plugs. He wears then when he goes swimming in the pool and is very good about keeping them in. Also look at it on the development side of things. Constant infections will damage the drums leading to hearing loss which can result in poor speech, learning difficulties, behavioral problems. Better to get it sorted while they're young.

Talk to your doctor. Get the pros and cons. Get a second opinion, that's just good consumership. But if you feel, after weighing all of the risks and benefits, that it is the right choice, then do so without apology or explanation to anyone that might try to argue with you, LOL!

28 Comments

View replies by

Carole - posted on 06/04/2012

3

0

0

Take them to an ENT. My kids had constant sinus infections and ear infections. Tubes... every kind of antibiotic ever made I think... the ENT removed my son's adenoids at age seven and my daughter was age 16 when she had hers removed plus she had a deviated septum and 3 turbinates removed. They are rough the first day or two but they were finally "cured" of all infections. It's down the road you should be concerned about. I think adenoids CAN grow back, but so far so good.

I would go ahead and have it done. Shelby was sick from the time she was 2 weeks until she had her tubes put in and her adnoids out at the age of 15 months. She did alot better with the tubes in and adnoids out. She was still able to go swimming with tubes in her ears and earplugs. You just have to purchase the ear plugs and they give you medicine to put in their ears if they do get water in them. Have it done after summer is over if you are so worried about water from swimming. Remember he still has to take a bath so you will have to buy the ear plugs anyways.

My son who is now almost 19 was told he needed them as well, but we decided against it and they just went in and did a good cleaning all the way through the ear and inner ear and his speech took off in no time. Hope this helps :)

I would definetly put tubes in your sons ears! My son is on his 3rd set (hes 5 now). His first set was 8months old and at that point he had lost most of his hearing. Yes they can go swimming. The ENT can fit him for a set of ear plugs. My ENT charges $12 for the plugs. If they fit properly they will not fall out!

My son never had ear infections (well 1 or 2 in a two year period but not much at all). He had some speech problems and when he had his hearing tested, they found the fluid build up behind his ear drums. He had tubes in Dec. 08 and it was the best thing that could have happened for him. It improved his hearing so much and his speech immediately took off. We swam nearly every day this summer and it hasn't been a problem at all. We started the summer putting ear putty in his ears when swimming but after talking to the ENT again, he said that wouldn't be necessary unless his ears were going more than 4 feet under water. The surgery was quick and easy and absolutely worth it!

One of my children had tubes, and while we had no major issues, I would not do it again. With our forth child we were seen by an ENT (whom I love) and he wanted to put tubes in her ears. I told him that I would wanted to see the allergist first. Having her tested and eliminating her food allergies and (knock on wood) she has only had one infection since (and that in correlation to pneumonia) and its been 5 months. She was getting them monthly!!! The diet modification saved her from surgery that really wasn't needed after all. Sometimes things aren't as simple as they seem.

I wish you luck in your decision! Its a personal one only you can make!

It is soooo worth it. My son had about 9 ear infections before he was one year old. His ear drum even ruptured one time. His pediatrician suggested tubeswhen he was one, so i tried it. He is now about to turn 4 years old on Friday and he has had one ear infection since the tubes and that was his first week at daycare. When he was about three and a half the tubes fell out. Still, no ear infections. So I say give it a try....

Oh I forgot to add with tubes if the infections continue and there is a chance they will... there is NO need for oral antibotics. Because the tube is in there you use drops. There is benefits to this... first being you shouldn't be taking oral antibotics unless you really need to. Second, the drops cover a wider spectrum and are more likely to work in the first try without all the side effects or long term effects oral antibotics have. Thirdly if your child does get an infection it won't be painful. The pain is caused by the pressure and since there is no pressure difference between the inner and outer ear there is no pain. The ear drum is less likely to rupture also. And during an infection the ear can literally drain out thru the outer ear; since the ear isn't draining properly in the first place it helps alot to prevent infections also.

This was a little bit of information was I was surprised to find out. One of the risk factors for ear infections is being born MALE. Remember tubes doesn't mean a life time of operations. It just means tubes until their heads become large enough that their ears can drain while sleeping and the eustachian tube becomes longer and not so straight.

My son just had his tubes put in. I highly recommend it to anyone who has a child who gets more then 3 ear infections in a 12 month period. Your son is still little and can't really express if he has pain or not between infections. If your doctor has said your sons ears are congested or has glue ear then you definately need the tubes. Ear infections are not something to mess with. They can cause permentant hearing lose. Congested ears can cause major speech delays which in turn can cause emotional developemental delays. That is what happend in our sitution. In April 2009 my sons speech tested at a 3 year olds level. He is 5 years old and since the tubes have gone in (May 27th 2009) he doesn't even qualify for any speech therapy after our last sessions are over. Your child can still swim. There is mixed studies about water and tubes. My ENT recommends that you use special ear plugs for swimming and a swimming head band. It cost me $25 for both. They are easy to put in and don't bother them at all. Even without swimming you will need the ear plugs for washing hair. Soaps and shampoos are very bad for tubes.

DO IT this was the best thing for my son he wasn't walking and had constant ear infections when he was little we did the tubes 2 days after his first b-day and that night he started walking and eating better. he has been so much better since. he's 5 and we have had no problem and no ear infections since!!!!!! go for it/

My Daughter had her tonsils taken out and the tubes put in her ears last summer. I have to say that it's been wonderful for her. Prior to the surgery she always had a cold or an ear infection. Much better now! No swimming tho for a while.

My 2 girls had them put in. My oldest was 18 month and lost hers at about 4 but never had anymore infections. My youngest girl had a set put in at 3 and her adnoids taken then had to put in another set 2 weeks later cause the other tubes fell out. She just turned 10 and her last one just came out about 6 months ago. They did great for her speech and hearing. my sons has been the one to luck out so far..They make great water ear plugs if you are afraid about the water but my kids never had a problem with the water.

My oldest has had one ear infecftion in 13 years. The youngest - I can't count them. He is on his fourth set of tubes. He never let us know his ears were bothering him, so we often didn't know he had an infection (even prior to 1 year old, no tugging, nothing). Twice, there was drainage from the ear - it healed up. He had his first set at prior to a year old, I think (I was still breastfeeding and stopped that at 13 mos.). He is now on his fourth set. This ENT said with his history, she put in the larger type that take up to three years to fall out. The smaller ones take only about a year. He too has very large tonsils (like me); and they have now been taken out. He was having recurrent ear infections - so many that it concerned us. We have excellent pediatricians who sent him to an ENT - I would definitely talk to a good ENT.

When he has the tubes, he doesn't have the infections.

When my son had his first set, he woke up mad. They actually told us in the hospital that frequently kids that age won't calm down till they are out of the hospital. Soon as we got out of the parking deck, he settled down!

The tubes do fall out, that is normal. I have never actually seen them come out, but he had one lying on the ear drum when he went for a hearing test.

By the way - a hearing test can catch fluid behind his ear. His ENT didn't think he needed them, but the audiologist testing his hearing told me that the hearing loss was all fluid and would go away with tubes. My ENT - who takes forever to see when you have an appointment - walked by, looked at the test and put him in a room to check him. She agreed that tubes would help his hearing. Since she is the absolute best in the area (she sees adults and children) and has vastly more experience, I opted to let her put them in rather than argue with the pediatric ENT. He has had excellent checkups for the last year, year and a half with the tubes and I have never regretted him having any of the sets of tubes. They have been a lifesaver and kept him off of so very much medication!

My son rec'd his tubes 2 years ago. like many others, it was just before his 2nd birthday. He will be 4 soon & just got his first ear infection! There were no restrictions on swimming, bathing or anything else for that matter. I highly recommend tubes as they were a BIG success for our family.

my son is having his pre-admission this coming friday at the hospital, and his surgery for tubes the following friday, i am so pleased it is all coming through, i dont think i could handle another winter with out them, it has been non-stop ear infections, and his body started fighting against the anti biotics, he got to use to them. i am looking forward to putting it all behind me, GOOD LUCK!

My youngest daughter had to have tubes at about 20 months. She was always sick and on medication. Since the tubes in April she has been a different child. She is bouncier and she never stops talking now. She is also sleeping all night without waking up screaming. I have to say it is the best thing we could have done for her. She swam this summer without going under water, but you can buy plugs to fit your child's ears. Good luck!

My oldest (who is now 24 years) had chronic ear infections when he was little. They went in to put in tubes and found his adnoids were about 10 times the size they were supposed to be. They took the adnoids out, put in tubes and he never had another ear infections.

I agree with what has been posted so far. My daughter received tubes in her ears just before her 2nd birthday and it was a huge improvement.

Before the tubes she was getting ear infections every month. She was constantly on antibiotics and becoming a bad bitter at her day care. After the tubes-she started talking (and hasn't stopped since!) and we no longer needed med after med to cure infections. The surgery only took about an hour and she did not seem to be in any discomfort after. A year later she her tonsils removed too.

My niece had them put in. It was the best thing my sister did. My niece only had 40% of her hearing before the tubes were put in and the delay in having the tubes put in also slightly delayed her speech development. My niece has been the happiest baby ever since the tubes and we can't get her to stop talking now.

My cousin also had them put in when he was 2 and it was definitely a great thing for him too.

Both of them had horrible ear infections and after, they were happy and healthy.

I have two kids and both have had tubes, I can say that it was the best thing we did for both of them. When the tubes were in the ear infections were gone and things were great, with my daughter it took 3 sets before she finally grew out of infections. For my son we when his first set came out we had about 6 months before the infections started again. For my kids ear issues run in the family but, nothing bad has happened and between the two kids we have had both types of tubes the new and old style and we have been through it 5 times now. It was woth it and my only regret I feel we waited to long for my sons and he has a speech delay we are working on. My daughter is 9 and son is 3 so I have an age gap, but a lot of experience with ear infections and tubes. Good luck.

My son is 2.5 years and has had tubes now since he was 18 months old... he had constant infections, was on antibiotics all the time, and ended up being speech delayed because he had so much fluid in his ears he couldnt hear. Since he had the tubes, we have have not have one ear infection (knock on wood!) They are definitly worth it!!

Hi! My son is 9 months and is on his second set. Keep in mind he has acleft lip and palate so they were a must for him. His first set actually fell out. I have also heard pros and cons about them, but for my son they seem to be helping. He has not had any infections since he got them in and before them (at 3 mo.) he pretty much had a constant ear infection. Good Luck :)

mt daughter is 18months old and she has had tubed 4 about 2 months. and since she has had them no more ear infections or colds. so i say it is worth the cost. but if you do it don't leave the hospital until your son is fully alert.

I would go ahead and have it done. Shelby was sick from the time she was 2 weeks until she had her tubes put in and her adnoids out at the age of 15 months. She did alot better with the tubes in and adnoids out. She was still able to go swimming with tubes in her ears and earplugs. You just have to purchase the ear plugs and they give you medicine to put in their ears if they do get water in them. Have it done after summer is over if you are so worried about water from swimming. Remember he still has to take a bath so you will have to buy the ear plugs anyways.